Syracuse Crunch head coach Jon Cooper not hiding from high expectations for the Crunch (podcast)

The Norfolk Admirals made hockey history on the way to a Calder Cup last season.

The Admirals won 28 straight games, its last 10 in the playoffs, and 43 of 46 overall on the way to the title.

Mike Greenlar/The Post Standard 2012

Can that team repeat that kind of success with a new address in Syracuse?

15 players return to the roster from that Calder Cup championship team in Norfolk to start the season, a team that is now the Syracuse Crunch after an NHL affiliation swap brought Tampa Bay in for Syracuse and Anaheim out to Norfolk.

As new Syracuse Crunch head coach Jon Cooper, the defending AHL coach of the year, told me "On the Block" on The Score 1260 on Thursday, the Crunch are not hiding from the high expectations last season sets for this one.

"Like I tell the guys, when you win a championship, you should never run from it. Embrace the feeling. It is something that no one is ever going to be able to take away from you. We're not obliged to give that trophy back to another team because we won it last year.

I feel it is our duty and the test of a team's character to repeat. That should be the ultimate goal here."